The Dream Singer
by Hunter Jade Slater
Summary: My first Avatar fic. A mysterious new figure rises in the aftermath of the war, and along with them a whole new challenge.
1. Stories

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, as much as I wish I did

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, as much as I wish I did.

**Stories**

"Uncle Iroh! Tell us one of your stories." Aang's big brown eyes stared pleadingly up at the man they all called Uncle Iroh now.

Iroh sighed and took a sip of his tea. _Ginseng, my favorite._ A chorus of pleas erupted from the four youngest of the group. Zuko gave a small smile of encouragement as he placed the teapot back on its stand.

"Oh, all right." Iroh put on a fake long-suffering, weary voice. The little glade they were camped in erupted with cheers, along with chattering from Momo and a grunt from Appa. The war had been over for quite some time, but they still enjoyed traveling together, seeing places they'd never seen and revisiting beloved places and people.

"Which one are you going to tell this time?" Katara asked, her blue eyes transfixed on the old man. "The Cave of Two Lovers? The Creation of Kiyoshi Island?"

Iroh shook his head. "I am going to tell you a story none of you have heard, besides Zuko. And even he hasn't heard it in several years."

Zuko's eyebrows pulled down over his eyebrows, trying to remember. He shook his head, as if to shake off an irksome fly (or perhaps an irksome thought), sending his preferred shaggy disarray of hair flying in all directions. "Please go on, Uncle."

Iroh took another sip of his tea and thought deeply for a moment. As he thought, his face seemed to get rid of its wrinkles, bringing back the shadow of the young man he had been.

"It is said that there is a girl, an extraordinary girl, who can reach into people's dreams. She can talk to you, forewarn you, and threaten you. She can see into past dreams you've had. Her eyes are blue-"

"Does that mean she's from the Water Tribe?" Sokka asked excitedly. Katara elbowed him.

It was Zuko who spoke next, finally remembering the story. "No one knows. Some say she is a Water Tribe girl, some say she isn't, and that she's from another world entirely."

"The…Spirit World?" Aang asked confusedly. Zuko shrugged.

"Like I said, no one knows."

Iroh cleared his throat. "Continuing on. Her eyes are a magnificent shade of blue, and her hair is-unbelievably- a golden color. It is long, and wavy, and said to be about the color of wheat.

"But the most unbelievable thing about her is her singing, which is why they call her the Dream Singer. She is said to take a liking to people, and she sings them to sleep in their troubled times. She also possesses powers unknown to anyone. Some even say that, like the Avatar, she can master all four elements. Most, however, find that hard to believe. I think it's a bit far out myself.

"Either way, she's pretty powerful. Many tyrants have attempted to capture her and hold her, and each and every one has failed. No one knows how to evade her or restrain her."

"Is it always a her?" Aang asked.

"Yes."

"Sweet!" Toph said, speaking for the first time. "I love stories where the damsel saves herself."

"There are three theories: one, she is omnipresent, everywhere at once. Two, she is immortal. Three, she is reborn, like the Avatar, except always with the same appearance. Those who believe that say that her past lives are like yours, Aang, as in she doesn't know everything, but she still has wisdom from another.

"It's up to you whether you believe or not."

They sat in a quiet silence for quite some time, Iroh sipping his tea contentedly.

"Why did you tell us this story?" Katara asked quietly.

"Because I am favored by the Dream Singer," Zuko said, turning his face away from their surprised expressions.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Back at the Palace of the Fire Lord, a girl was thrown to the ground in front of another young woman. The captured girl seemed only to be around sixteen, and she was dirty and scratched all over. Her hair was muddied to a light brown, but you could tell it was naturally golden.

Mai looked down at the girl with disgust. "Wait until Fire Lord Zuko hears that his army has finally captured the Dream Singer," she sneered. A pair of fierce blue eyes stared up at her. For of course, Mai didn't know that her boyfriend was favored by this same girl in front of her.

The Dream Singer struggled against the chains holding her, knowing that if she tried anything on them, they'd burn her down. She remembered the night her Zuko had been burned by his father. His pain, her pain, they had been the same. So much pain…

One of the guards kicked her in the side. She cried out in pain and fell even lower than she was.

"Take her down to the holding cells. Put her in top security." Mai's voice was just as bored as ever.

The Singer felt something in her heart she had not felt in a long time as she was dragged away: hopelessness.

--

_A/N: Remember, this is a world where blonde hair doesn't exist. And don't come in here saying she's a Sue and she's stealing the Avatar's place and all that. It will be explained if you're patient enough._


	2. Reality Hits Hard

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

**Reality Hits Hard**

The other four children looked at Zuko in surprise. Even Toph turned her head in his direction, her usually gruff exterior phased for a moment.

"Really?" Aang asked, his eyes wide.

Zuko nodded. "Granted, I don't know very much more about her than my uncle does. Only that she's sixteen, her name is Lily Grace, and she's been there for as far back as I can remember, probably even longer."

"Lily Grace," Katara mumbled. "That's an…interesting name."

"She's an interesting girl."

Zuko looked down at his legs, crossed in front of him. He didn't like talking to other people about Lily Grace. He didn't want people to know too much about her. The only person he felt should know was Uncle Iroh.

Iroh cleared his throat again and set his empty cup down. "It's getting late, we should go to bed."

Everyone took this as a sign that they would no longer talk about her, and stood and began readying themselves for bed.

As Zuko rolled out his blankets, he sighed. He hadn't dreamed about her in a while.

Where was she?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lily Grace hit the back wall of a cell as the guards threw her in. The stone was harsh and unforgiving. The guards looked down at her cruelly.

"All these years and no one has been able to capture you. You're just a girl. A weak, powerless little girl."

"Wrong."

"What?"

"People have captured me before. But no one has been able to keep me. And while I might be weak, I am in no certain terms powerless. You'd best watch what you say. And what you dream."

They were silent after that, not knowing what to say.

The cell door shut with a clang as they walked away.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_CLANG!_

Zuko's head resounded with that noise as he sat straight up in the middle of the night. Lily Grace, in a cell- a cell at the Fire Palace! Weak and starved, unable to use her powers in such a state.

He got to his feet, quietly moving to where his uncle slept. While he hated to wake his uncle, they needed to go help her.

"Uncle, wake up!" Zuko hissed as he shook Iroh's shoulder. Iroh grunted and rolled over. Zuko rolled his eyes. "Uncle, wake up! Wake up!"

"What is it, Zuko?" Iroh asked blearily. "What time is it?"

"I don't know what time it is and I don't care. They have Lily Grace locked up at the Fire Palace, we have to go help her!"

"Locked up?!" Iroh said, a bit too loudly.

"Uncle!" Zuko hissed. But it was too late, everyone else was already awake.

"What's going on?" Sokka asked, rubbing his eyes.

"It's Lily Grace," Zuko said shortly. "She's in trouble."

The four looked at each other. "Lead the way," Aang said.

In a few moments, Appa was saddled and ready to go. They climbed onto his back, everyone else yawning as they went. Zuko took the reins.

"You guys sleep, I'll fly Appa."

"Are you sure?" Katara asked.

Zuko nodded. The rest of them lay down and began to sleep. Only Iroh was awake.

Uncle and nephew sat together in silence as they flew through the air.


	3. False Pretenses

Disclaimer: Only Lily Grace belongs to me

Disclaimer: Only Lily Grace belongs to me.

**False Pretenses**

"Fire Lord Zuko, returned from his journey!"

Zuko felt a little embarrassed as he waved to his people. _They had to make a big deal out of a short camping trip. _

"And we are also pleased to announce that your Fire Army has taken prisoner a person who has never been able to be captured. The Dream Singer!"

The crowd cheered even louder than before. Zuko tried not to stiffen too visibly.

Mai smiled as they returned into the hall. "Come with me, and we'll see how powerful the Dream Singer really is."

Zuko followed Mai down to the holding cells. As the dank grey walls closed in around him, he wondered what she meant. It took a lot of effort to capture Lily Grace, as anyone who had attempted before could tell you. Unless you took her by trickery or by playing games. But then, wouldn't that be cheating? And wasn't the point of being a leader not to cheat your people?

Mai was smiling blandly, something Zuko hadn't seen her do in a while. She usually never smiled at all. He began to notice how not pretty she really was. Her skin was colorless, her hair was dead black, her eyes dead grey. If those things had life in them, they could be very pretty. But in Mai, they were nothing.

Zuko's eyes widened as she took him to the last cell in the corridor. There, crumpled against the wall, was Lily Grace. She looked terrible. Her hair was bedraggled, muddied to a light brown. Her skin was scraped and burned in several places, and she was much too thin to be healthy. Her eyes were dull, and her hands, usually so animated, were hanging lifelessly by her sides.

Mai smiled in cruel triumph. "There she is, looking like my ostrich-horse trampled all over her. About the equivalent of what really happened, as the soldiers tell me."

Zuko thought quickly, coming up with a plan. "Let me interrogate the prisoner alone. She is a dangerous creature and even in her weakened state, can only be controlled by the most powerful of Firebenders."

"If…if that's what you want, Zuko." Mai said, a little surprised. She exited the room, along with the guards that were present. As soon as they were gone, Zuko went right up to the cell door and fell to his knees. Lily Grace crawled up to the door.

He reached into the cell and took her hands, both of them. They were still long-fingered and elegant, but also much too bony. "What happened? How could they take you? Why haven't you already escaped?"

"I was on my way to a market to buy food when I was ambushed. I hadn't had enough food when they caught up, and I was weak. I suspect they waited until I ran out." Lily Grace's voice was tired and thin. "They hardly feed me at all in here. Just enough to keep me alive, but not enough to gain strength enough to escape."

"I can sneak you food until we come up with a plan. What happened? Mai said it was the equivalent of being run over with an ostrich-horse."

"Mai? Is that the girl who is always bored and has absolutely no life? The one who looks like she's been dead for sixteen years?"

Zuko looked uncomfortable. "Mai is my girlfriend."

Lily Grace's eyes widened. "Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean- I mean, you never dream about her or anything, so I assumed- "

"It's okay." Zuko looked down at the floor. "You're right, in any case. But tell me what happened."

"They ambushed me in the forest. They were all on ostrich-horses, and the poor things were scared to death of course, so they were rampaging in all directions, so some of them, well…" She lifted her shirt to show her side, and there were huge bruises, the exact size and shape of an ostrich-horse's claw there. She put her shirt back over the bruises. "They captured me and fed me next to nothing, like they do here."

Zuko sighed. He sat back on his heels and thought. Who did he know that could help a fugitive, as well as a seemingly disgraced royal, escape from a completely guarded and protected palace?

After a moment he smacked his forehead. What a stupid question!

"Uh…." Lily Grace was staring at him funny. "I think it's time you explained your epiphany."

"I know exactly who to get to help us. Don't worry," Zuko smiled at her. "I **will **get you out."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

About an hour or so later, after dining with Mai, Zuko was in his room. He put the last finishing words on his final letter, then sent three messenger hawks out to different places. One to Aang, Sokka, and Katara at the South Pole, one to Toph at the Earth Kingdom, and one to his Uncle, only a few miles away in a quiet village.

Zuko was not one to break his word, and this time, he would be keeping two promises.

After all, he _had _promised Aang a new adventure.


	4. Messages

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Lily Grace

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Lily Grace.

**Messages**

Katara jumped as the messenger hawk landed in her window. She was bending some snow into a pot for their dinner. Sokka and Aang were out overseeing the reconstruction of what had once been their great city. They were rebuilding it out of the snow with some of the Waterbending masters from the North Pole.

She knew there were only two people in the Fire Nation who would want to send them messages, so she took the message out of its casing and stroked the feathers of the hawk that had been sent to them. It cawed softly and waited for her reply.

_Katara, Sokka, Aang,_

_Remember when we were out camping a week ago, and my uncle was telling us stories? Remember what happened? I can't put all the details down in writing for your sake, but I'm sure at least Katara and Aang will remember._

_Well, I need your help. They have her starving and confined in the palace. My nation cheers when they hear the news. Mai feels it is a triumph. So, we're going to become traitors to the Fire Nation once more._

_Fly up with Appa to the Earth Kingdom. Toph will be waiting for you there. Pick her up then come to the village where my uncle lives. He and I will be waiting for you there. We'll make a plan once we're all there._

_With love,_

_Zuko._

Katara immediately took the pot off the fire and left it on the ground so the water wouldn't go to waste. She passed Gran Gran on her way and uttered a hurried explanation of where she was going.

She darted out to the construction sites, where Sokka and Aang stood with Pakku over the blueprints. They looked up as she came into view and she stopped in front of them, holding the scroll out to her brother. He took it as she regained her breath and they read it, Aang looking over Sokka's shoulder.

When they were finished, Sokka rolled the scroll back up and handed it to Katara, now recovered. "How far are we on the plans?"

"Far enough, Sokka," Pakku said. "We're constructing most of the old palace now, and that's going to take the majority of our time. But once that's over, constructing the common village will be easy enough."

"Can you get along without us?" Sokka asked. "We have an important mission waiting for us, and we don't know how long we'll be gone."

Pakku looked up at the reconstruction. "I think we're doing well enough that you leaving won't make too much harm."

"Good," Aang said. "We don't know when we'll see you again, Master, but we promise it will be soon."

The three teenagers hurried away from the construction site and down to the village and began to make plans.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Toph was sitting in a chair in one of the houses of Omashu, her feet propped up on a table as her face turned towards the window. Suddenly she was aware of something blocking the sun.

"What-? Oh," she said, feeling the vibrations. "A messenger hawk."

Smellerbee, who, along with Longshot and the Duke, was now living with Toph in the city, looked over. "I think it's for you."

"Well, don't expect me to read it."

Smellerbee chuckled. She took the scroll out of the case and began reading.

"_Toph,_

_I know that you, who hears better than anyone, remembers the story my uncle told you a week ago and what happened afterward. Well, I was right. I need you to go to the top of the mountain by Omashu. I need you to stay there until Sokka, Aang, and Katara come on Appa to pick you up._

_I'll meet you at the village with my uncle. Plans will be made after that. I know you can't read this so I put in as few details as possible, so you'll have to ask one of the others for the full story._

_With love,_

_Zuko._"

Smellerbee looked from the paper to Toph, who had changed position. Her feet were now squarely on the ground, her head facing Smellerbee's direction. Her expression was serious, not angry or sarcastic as was usual.

"Help me pack. It seems I'm going to go on a journey to the Fire Nation."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Iroh was standing in his small house in the quiet Fire Nation village, brewing his customary cup of jasmine tea to help him get to sleep. He looked over as there was a flapping at his window. A messenger hawk was standing there, looking regal.

He took the scroll out and began reading.

_Uncle,_

_In a few days I'm going to come down and visit you. But this time it's not going to be a leisure visit. We have a job to do, and we're going to have some friends come up and help us._

_Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Appa are coming up a few days after I reach you. We'll have a lot of planning to do. Ready to be a fugitive once more?_

_Your loving nephew,_

_Zuko._

Iroh rolled the scroll back up, set it down, and picked up his cup. He let the hawk go back to the palace, where it belonged. He seemed to be the only one unsurprised by the turn of events.

Then again, he was drinking calming tea.


	5. Escape

Disclaimer: Avatar belongs to Nickelodeon and Mike & Bryan

Disclaimer: Avatar belongs to Nickelodeon and Mike & Bryan.

**Escape**

Appa grunted as they flew over the hills and gardens of the Fire Nation. For now they could fly freely because they hadn't acted yet. They didn't even know what the plan was yet.

"Just a little ways more, buddy." Aang said, patting Appa's head. Sokka was bent over a map in the saddle, frowning. "I don't know, we might be going a lot more if this map is right…"

"Oh, the map is right," Katara said, "But the idiot reading it isn't. It's upside down, genius."

Sokka turned it over and suddenly everything made a lot more sense. "Oh…"

They made it to the village and Appa landed, right in the backyard of the esteemed ex-General Iroh. Everybody happily took some reviving tea from him, exhausted after a few days of straight flying. Appa happily munched the hay left out for him.

Inside, Zuko was sitting with a map of the Fire Nation (much like the one Sokka had been using), and a map of the inside of the palace. He knew that palace inside out, but none of the others did.

He looked up as the others trailed in. "I'm glad you could all come, sit down. I've already come up with the basics."

Sokka sat down straight across from Zuko, his brain already starting to work. "Tell us."

"Here are the holding cells. This seems to be the only entrance and exit, but obviously we don't have to worry about it with an Earthbender with us. Aang will have to wait on the outside, with Appa, so once we get out we can go. The rest of us will be used to hold off the guards and various servants running around."

"We'll need to make it look like she got out by herself at first- which means she'll have to break the door herself, which, as I take it, won't be too hard. Toph will have to close the wall back up, which is relatively easy as well. But what will happen once they begin to figure out their Fire Lord is a traitor to them?"

"Technically, I'm not a traitor. They'll be torn between loyalty to their nation and loyalty to their Lord, which, in a way, is the same thing. That will confuse them for a while, but pretty soon Mai will be after us-"

"Mai?" Toph said. "I thought she was your girlfriend."

"She is." Zuko said uncomfortably. "But lately…well, she was the one to capture my best friend in the entire world. She didn't know what she meant to me, but still, Lily Grace had done no wrong. It wasn't right to imprison her, but I can't tell her that was wrong after I've put up this pretense for so long. I realize my mistake now."

"I would suggest dumping her, but that usually ends with lethal results…" Aang said, trying to be funny. The rest of them looked at him and he seemed to shrink.

"Anyways, after Mai gets in on it, she'll be after us with those daggers of hers, but hopefully we'll be up in the air by that time. If we aren't, we'll just have to make the best of our abilities. And since we have three people from one element, two each in the other two and one in the one endangered one, plus Sokka's sword, we should be good."

"And the fact that the escapee has her own special brand of power," Katara added. Zuko shrugged.

"I've been sneaking her food, but she's still not all that strong yet. I don't know how much good she'll be. She's light, though, so Appa won't have much to worry about."

"It's surprising how much you know about her, seeing as this is the first time you've met her in the waking world," Iroh observed.

"You learn a lot about someone by observing their dreams."

They continued to plan, heads bent over the table.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Another day in this miserable prison. Spirits, this place was disgusting. At least the Boiling Rock used its prisoners to clean up the place. This place was two inches thick in dirt and other refuse. It stank of unwashed prisoners and vomit, and she couldn't blame General Iroh for wanting to bust himself out.

Although, if Zuko kept his word, which he usually did, she wouldn't have to worry about that.

Lily Grace snapped to attention in her cell as a bang resounded in the hall above. A sound of skidding followed, then a clatter down the stairs. She was met by a small blind girl who had the aura of a tough guy. Toph. Lily Grace was glad to finally meet her, especially since she knew she was in on the plot to help her.

"Alright, you're going to have to break the bars yourself. Are you strong enough to do that?" Toph asked in a hurried hiss.

Lily Grace almost nodded, before remembering. "Yes. You might want to stand back, though."

A line of electric green light emanated from her hands, crackling like electricity. She used it to carve a hole right through the bars, leaving them to clatter to the ground. She stepped out of the hole, and Toph quickly made a door in the stone wall beside them. She whistled loudly towards the commotion above them, and there was more clattering as four more people filed down the stairs- Sokka, Katara, Iroh, and Zuko.

Toph motioned towards the door in the wall urgently. "Come on, come on!"

Zuko picked Lily Grace up. "I know you run fast, but this whole thing was about you and we can't take that chance."

They ran out the door, Toph closing it behind them. They were running at full tilt to the bison, Aang waiting, ready at the reins. Zuko was first to make it there, helping Lily Grace up into the saddle, then climbing up himself to help Katara, Toph, Sokka, and Iroh up in.

"Yip, yip!" Aang said, and Appa lifted into the air.

"Where to?" Aang asked as Lily Grace faded into sleep.

The last thing she heard was, "Kiyoshi Island," from Zuko.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Is she dreaming?" Katara asked, looking down at the girl's face. She really was pretty, even under all that filth.

"No. When she gets purely exhausted, she doesn't visit people's dreams. Even when it's normal sleep, she can choose."

Katara studied Zuko's face. She'd never seen that much pure affection from him for anyone, not her, or Sokka, or Aang, or Toph, not even Iroh or Mai. But then again, this was his best friend in the entire world.

They flew off in the direction of Kiyoshi Island, fugitives once again.


	6. Meet Lily Grace

Disclaimer: Avatar belongs to Bryke and Nickelodeon

Disclaimer: Avatar belongs to Bryke and Nickelodeon.

**Meet Lily Grace**

Lily Grace groaned and rolled over, opening her eyes. What she saw first was Katara, Zuko, and Toph. Toph was in the middle of bending a shelter out of the earth, Katara was tending the fire for their dinner, and she guessed Zuko's job (probably self-appointed) was to watch and make sure she was okay.

"Evening," Zuko said as he noticed she was awake. She sat up.

"Evening? How long was I asleep?"

"Most of the day."

Lily Grace crinkled her nose. "I'm going to take a bath…is there a stream or something around here?"

Zuko nodded. "There should be a hot springs in the forest down there. It's pretty much a straight shot from here to there if you keep left."

"Thanks, Zuko." She stood. All her stuff was there. "How did all my stuff get here?"

"The Blue Spirit returned for a while." Zuko said. Lily Grace rolled her eyes and took some clean clothes, some soap, and some hair oils.

She returned a while later, all the mud and dirt gone from her. Her hair shone like flax, and her skin had an almost unnoticeable olive tone, marred only by scratches and burns.

Katara began to feel her mothering senses tingle. "Sit down, I'll get you cleaned up."

Lily Grace sat, leaning against Appa's side. She felt a lot better as Katara healed her. "You really can heal, then? I've heard a lot about you."

Katara blushed. "Yeah, I can heal. Oh, Spirits." She had just started on Lily Grace's bruises from the ostrich-horses.

"Yeah…ow. Stupid soldiers."

As Katara worked, Aang came over and sat next to Lily Grace. He stared at her with wide eyes…well, wider than usual. Aang just had big eyes. He looked at her like he was a regular person seeing the Avatar for the first time. Zuko chuckled. He knew Aang would probably be well used to Lily Grace by next week.

"So, tell us about yourself." Aang prompted. Lily Grace sighed.

"Where to begin? I guess I should start with my rather shady beginning. Remember, some of this stuff, Zuko doesn't even know." Lily Grace warned.

"I was born in the Northern Water Tribe. My father is King now…he was just a prince then. He wasn't married to my mother, he wasn't married at all. He wasn't much older than Zuko or Sokka. I was an illegitimate child. I am not originally in the lineup for the throne. My half-sister, Princess Yue, was originally heiress.

"Yue and I were like twin sisters. She was the moon, I the stars. We grew up as great friends, caring for each other. But, since my beautiful Yue is now the Mother Moon, I guess I'm heiress to the throne. The throne that I don't really want. I don't know where my mother is, maybe the South Pole, maybe somewhere else."

Everyone was quiet for a moment. "Princess Lily Grace, huh?" Zuko said with a small smile. "That fits."

"Need I remind you of who you are, His Royal Flameyness?"

Everyone laughed, except for Sokka. "She got you there," Katara said.

"Well, you guys are technically royalty as well, Katara. Hakoda is a Chief."

"Ha, Now she really is Queen of the Sugar!" Toph said. Everyone laughed again. Except Sokka.

"Well, I guess we know when we're found out, huh, Sokka?"

"Yeah." Sokka said shortly. Everyone turned to him.

"What's wrong, Sokka?" Katara asked, puzzled.

Sokka crossed his arms. Lily Grace was sitting up straight, her healing done for a few minutes now. "What I want to know is, if you were such great friends with Yue, where were you the night she became the moon?" he asked accusingly, pointing at a stunned Lily Grace. "How come you didn't know your precious prince was coming? Not to mention a bunch of ships from his nation? _Why weren't you there?!_"

By now, both of them were standing, Sokka leaning over her angrily. Lily Grace looked just as angry.

"Excuse me, O Royal Butthead, I was in a village far away. I saw the moon go out and I knew. I knew there was nothing I could do. Yue owed her life to the moon, and I couldn't go in case they lost me too. I might have been illegitimate, but my parents still loved me!"

"You could have seen it in Zuko's dreams!"

"That was the period in time when all he had was nightmares! I would never have known!"

Sokka was now stalking forward, forcing her to take a step back. His hands were balled up into fists, and boy, was he angry.

"Wait! I still haven't told you who my mother was!" Lily Grace said desperately. "My mother's name was Kaya!"

Sokka stopped in his tracks, dumbstruck. Several things clicked in his mind at once. First, Lily Grace was his half sister. Second, that made him distantly related to Yue. That was SO WRONG!

Katara gasped. "Your mother was…my mother?"

Lily Grace shrugged. "I guess." She ducked around Sokka.

There was quiet in the little glade for a long time after that. Iroh made everyone a cup of tea, which they all took gratefully. Sokka sat back down, ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Lily Grace."

"It's Lily. Just Lily."

"But- Zuko-"

"Zuko is a special case. Apology accepted."

Another long pause. Aang decided his curiosity was too much for him. "Can you tell us more about how you use your power? And how you battle?"

Lily Grace smiled. She loved demonstrating this. "It might look a little strange to you, before someone gets what I'm doing."

She began to move in a fluid, graceful way. Her long, flexible legs stretched this way and that, rapidly at times, slower at others, turning, jumping forward, back, sideways. A long line of neon blue stretched from hand to hand, twirling around her as she moved.

Toph shook her head. "It's so weird. It's graceful –almost lighter than you, Twinkletoes- yet still defensive. She's almost as flexible as Ty Lee, almost as dangerous as Sparky here, yet more controlled. I still can't figure out her movements."

"Oh, I think you'll get there, Toph." Lily Grace concentrated on the now green light.

Toph thought for a while more. "She's dancing!"

"That's right," Lily Grace said, the light disappearing, her body coming to a stop. "I spent one past life learning with the Kiyoshi warriors, and another one with people like Ty Lee. It helps, too, when you like to dance."

"You had past lives?" Aang asked, nearly beside himself by this point.

Lily Grace nodded, reclaiming her seat. "I trained with Avatar Kiyoshi, as a matter of fact. That was Aleida. Then Lairien spent her days training with the contortionist body blockers. Pressure points."

"You knew Avatar Kiyoshi?" Aang asked excitedly.

"Yeah. In fact, I –well, not me, it was Jeri if I remember- was married to one of the Air Avatars. Long ago, I can't remember which."

Aang looked like he was about to pass out from joy.

Lily Grace yawned. "Unbelievably, I'm still tired, so let's eat and go to bed."

Everyone agreed, as it was already getting late. The others chatted about where they were camping next as Lily Grace faded into sleep again.


	7. Tell Me Why!

Disclaimer: Avatar belongs to Bryke and Nickelodeon, and Tell Me Why belongs to Declan Galbraith

Disclaimer: Avatar belongs to Bryke and Nickelodeon, and Tell Me Why belongs to Declan Galbraith. I had to change a line a little because Lily Grace is a girl.

**Tell Me Why!**

Next morning, Lily Grace woke up refreshed and ready to go. She helped Katara pack things up and move them onto Appa while Sokka and Aang pored over the map and Iroh, Zuko, and Toph discussed easier ways to hide while they ran.

"So, Katara…" Lily Grace said, as they tied down the packs. "What happened to my- our mother? She lost touch after a while…I guessed that had to do with marrying your dad. I guess it was too embarrassing for her."

"That might have been it. But…" Katara sighed. "When I was really little, Fire Nation troops attacked. They killed her."

Lily Grace looked away. To lose her mother like that…and it must have been worse for Katara. She had been there. Why was Lily Grace always gone when they took the people she loved? It felt like it was her fault.

"Come on, guys!" Aang said, hopping up onto Appa and breaking Lily Grace out of her reverie. Everyone else climbed up, Katara and Lily Grace helping them up.

Lily Grace instantly took a liking to flying. It was because she'd probably done it before, a few hundred years ago. She eagerly watched the land flow behind her like water, and easily lost track of the time like that.

When they touched down again, everyone slid off onto blissfully solid ground. Appa groaned and rolled over as soon as the saddle was off.

"We're not far from Kiyoshi Island now," Sokka said. "Another half day of flying should get us there, and we can rest the rest of the time."

"That's good, I've been wanting to meet the recent Kiyoshi warriors. I want to tell them what I know about the Avatar." Lily Grace said. "Which isn't all too much, but still some more than the average person."

"There is a river to the left of the campsite. We can use that to wash up and for other things." Sokka said, once again looking at the map.

Toph made a shelter out of the earth. "Well, there's my tent." She rolled out her sleeping mat and sat in front of her little shelter. The others simply rolled out their mats after looking at the sky to check for rain. It looked perfectly clear, so they didn't worry.

They ate dinner together, laughing and joking. After the original tension, Lily Grace and Sokka seemed to get along pretty well. There was something a little off about her tonight, but only Zuko noticed, because, well, he was Zuko. When it came to Lily Grace he was insanely paranoid and very overprotective, even though she could probably wipe the ground with him if it came to battle.

After everyone had eaten and gone to sleep, Lily Grace was still awake, unable to sleep, though she was tired. She had something bothering her, something that wouldn't go away.

She stood and made her way quickly and quietly between her sleeping companions. She hesitated at the edge of the clearing, then continued on towards the river.

Zuko noticed that she was still awake, and he waited until she had disappeared into the trees before following. He hid behind trees and made no noise if he could help it. He watched as she made her way to the river, and he waited as she stopped at the bank, then plunged right in, up to her knees.

She looked up to the sky, as if asking the spirits for help. And then she began to sing.

"_In my dream, children sing_

_a song of love for every boy and girl._

_The sky is blue, and fields are green,_

_and laughter is the language of the world._

_Then I wake and all I see_

_is a world full of people in need. _

_Tell me why!_

_Does it have to be like this?_

_Tell me why!_

_Is there something I have missed?_

_Tell me why!_

_Cause I don't understand._

_When so many need somebody,_

_we don't give a helping hand._

_Tell me why!_

_Every day, I ask myself,_

_What will I have to do to understand?_

_Do I have to stand and fight _

_to prove to everybody who I am?_

_Is that what my life is for?_

_To waste in a world full of war?_

_Tell me why!_

_Does it have to be like this?_

_Tell me why!_

_Is there something I have missed?_

_Tell me why!_

_Cause I don't understand._

_When so many need somebody,_

_we don't give a helping hand._

_Tell me why!_

_Tell me why!_

_Tell me why!_

_Just tell me why, why, why?_

_Tell me why!_

_Does it have to be like this?_

_Tell me why!_

_Is there something I have missed?_

_Tell me why!_

_Cause I don't understand._

_When so many need somebody,_

_we don't give a helping hand._

_Tell me why!_

_Tell me why!_

_Tell me why!_

_Can someone tell us why we let the forest burn?_

_Tell me why!_

_Tell me why!_

_Can someone tell us why we let the ocean die?_

_Tell me why!_

_Tell me why!_

_Can someone tell us why we cannot just be friends?_

_Why, why?_"

She collapsed to her knees in the water, and suddenly there was a pair of strong hands holding her up so she didn't fall into the deeper water out in the middle. Zuko helped her back to shore, where they sat together on the bank.

Lily Grace cried for a few minutes, unable to find her words. When she finally regained her composure, she said, "Katara told me about our mother today."

Zuko said nothing, only rested his chin on her head.

"Why am I such a failure?" She began to get angry with herself.

"If anyone's a failure, it's me, and look at where I am." Zuko said.

"But you had only made mistakes. It didn't take you very long to figure out what you were doing was wrong and find your way again. Look at me. Everything I do is a mistake. _I _am a mistake. I don't know how to turn it around. I don't know if I can."

"There's nothing to turn around. You haven't done anything bad. I, on the other hand, have done just about everything you can. You're a good person. You just get a little mixed up. That's all."

She didn't look convinced.

"Come on, let's go back to camp." He dried the bottoms of her pants where they had been in the water, pulled her up, and began walking with her back to camp. When they arrived, she still didn't look convinced with what he said, but she lay down and soon, fell asleep.

Zuko sighed. This was going to be one rough patch.

--

_A/N: Honestly, go look up that song on YouTube. Declan Galbraith- Tell Me Why. Do it. It's a good song._


	8. I'd Lie

Disclaimer: Avatar belongs to Bryke and Nickelodeon

Disclaimer: Avatar belongs to Bryke and Nickelodeon. The song I'd Lie belongs to Taylor Swift.

**I'd Lie**

The next day, Lily Grace woke up a little disoriented. First, she noticed that Zuko wasn't in his spot by the trees. He was leaning against Appa's furry side, fast asleep, next to her own sleeping mat. She remembered last night, and realized that he must have stayed to watch over her after her episode. He was worried. Everyone seemed to be realizing that Lily Grace wasn't quite as perfect as she might seem.

The second thing she noticed was a small glint on the ground when she sat up. She picked it up. It was a little silver charm, of the moon. It was meant to go along with the other charms on her bracelet- a blue arrow, a dragon, and a white lotus. She smiled. Yue's gift of wisdom for her. She couldn't exactly say what the other charms meant. When she received the bracelet at age six, the dragon had already been on there. It was purple. The blue arrow had smacked her in the back of the head one day, being blown along in the wind. She understood that one a little better now. Master Pakku had given her the White Lotus, for her thirteenth birthday. He said she'd always find help in the white lotus. It still puzzled her.

She clipped the charm to her bracelet and looked over at her sleeping companion. He looked more peaceful than he did when he was awake. But it was time for everyone to wake up anyway, so she decided to do something she hated to do.

Lily Grace sat down in front of him and shook his shoulder. "Zuko. Zuko, wake up."

Zuko's eye fluttered open and for a moment he was confused. "What? Wh- oh."

"Sorry I had to wake you up, but it's time to get up anyway," she said. "You wake the others up, I'll go get water for cooking."

He nodded, and she stood up to get the big cooking pot. As she wound through the forest, she could see her footsteps from last night, and his, taking a more cautious route, hiding behind trees. She could see her footprints leading up the shore, then right into the water. She sighed. Why was she such a mess?

Once the pot was filled with water, Lily Grace followed her own footsteps back to camp, where everyone else was trying to shake himself or herself awake. She noticed there was a fire already going, waiting for some water to boil. She sighed and rolled her eyes. She wasn't quite that helpless. Was she?

She helped Katara and Toph make breakfast. Sokka spit it out as soon as he got it into his mouth.

"Don't we have _any _meat?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "We have to think about those of us who don't eat it. If you want to have meat, go get yourself some, lazy butt."

Sokka grumbled, but he finished his breakfast.

"It should be a clear shot to Kiyoshi," Aang said. "You can buy some meat there, Sokka."

"Good," Toph snorted. "Maybe he'll finally shut up."

"You know, you could be a little bit nicer." Sokka protested.

"I could," she agreed. "But what would be the fun in that?"

"No fighting, girls." Lily Grace said, grinning.

"Hey!" Sokka exclaimed.

"She's a funny one," Iroh muttered as Lily Grace began to pack up.

"I can hear you, crazy old man!"

They had the camp packed up and ready to go in less than an hour. As they were putting the final few things away, Toph snapped to attention. Everyone else looked at her, confused.

"Someone's coming," she said quietly.

Zuko's eyes widened, and he knew what was coming before he knew. "Everybody get on Appa!" He said, helping Toph and Lily Grace, the last two remaining, up into the saddle before jumping up himself. "Yip, yip!"

There was a blast of fire below them as they rose, and Appa needed no more incentive. He roared, rising into the air swiftly. Zuko fought off a few attacks until he looked to Lily Grace for help.

She stood and spread her arms in a circle motion. A light blue field followed her hands, covering Appa as they flew.

"Handy," Sokka mentioned.

"It helps," Lily Grace agreed. She sat back down on the saddle, letting the field down when they were out of range. She could see the faint outline of Kiyoshi Island from where they were. "I guess Sokka's navigating skills aren't so bad after all."

"Why do you feel the need to always make fun of me?" Sokka asked.

"It's become a sport," Toph said.

They passed the time in this manner, until they had finally tired themselves out. After that, they simply lay watching the clouds, the scenery, or in Toph's case, nothing.

They landed around dinnertime. The Kiyoshi warriors were already waiting for them on the beach- they had seen Appa coming.

When they had all slid off, one of them- clearly the leader- rushed to Sokka and threw her arms around his neck. He blushed, and as much as Lily Grace liked to make fun of him, she thought it was cute.

"Hey, Suki." Katara greeted the girl. Suki greeted the whole group, finally getting to Lily Grace. She stood there uncertainly.

Lily Grace bowed. "It's always good to meet one of my sisters."

Aang grinned. "Lily Grace is an honorary Kiyoshi warrior. She trained with Avatar Kiyoshi herself."

Suki's eyes widened. "You have to tell us more!"

One of the girls, who had a harder time keeping the calm face the others did, squealed. "Yes, yes, you must tell us everything!" Lily Grace guessed that this was the one and only Ty Lee.

"I trained with chi blocking contortionists as well," Lily Grace added, smiling at Ty Lee's reaction.

They were led to the same house where they had stayed last time, but were invited to eat dinner with the Kiyoshi warriors later. Then they would relate their stories.

Sokka, Iroh, and Katara went to the market. Sokka to find some meat, Iroh to find something he probably didn't need, and Katara to find supplies.

Aang showed Toph, Zuko, and Lily Grace around the house, since they hadn't been there before. It wasn't long before it was dinnertime.

Lily Grace got to know the Kiyoshi warriors well. They were an amiable group, and they were all very pretty, as they had taken off the face paint before dinner.

The group related their story, the escape, who Lily Grace was, her history, her fighting style, basically everything up until now. Except for Lily Grace's episode.

After dinner they went out to a fire pit they had where they would socialize, kind of like when camping. They sat on the logs around the fire, except for Zuko standing off to the side, and Iroh pulled out the suspicious-looking package he had brought with them. He opened it to show a guitar.

"I was hoping Miss Lily would sing us one of her legendary songs," Iroh said, holding out the guitar towards her.

She hesitated, then seemed to have an idea, and took it from him. She began to play.

"_I don't think that passenger seat_

_has ever looked this good to me._

_He tells me about his night._

_I count the colors in his eyes._

_He'll never fall in love he swears_

_as he runs his fingers through his hair._

_I'm laughing cause I hope he's wrong._

_I don't think it ever crossed his mind._

_He tells a joke, I fake a smile._

_But I know all his favorite songs._

_And I could tell you_

_his favorite color's green._

_He loves to argue,_

_born on the seventeenth._

_His sister's beautiful,_

_he has his father's eyes._

_And if you asked me if I love him,_

_I'd lie."_

That's when Zuko knew. He knew she was talking about him. It fit him perfectly. He looked around awkwardly, trying to see if anyone else had figured it out yet. They were all transfixed.

"_He looks around the room._

_Innocently overlooks the truth._

_Shouldn't a light go on?_

_Doesn't he know _

_that I've had him memorized for so long?_

_He sees everything in black and white._

_Never let nobody see him cry._

_I don't let nobody see me wishing he was mine._

_I could tell you_

_his favorite color's green._

_He loves to argue,_

_born on the seventeenth._

_His sister's beautiful,_

_he has his father's eyes._

_And if you asked me if I love him,_

_I'd lie."_

He stood there for a while more, listening to the music, and then turned and began to walk away. Her voice stopped him.

"_He stands there then walks away._

_My God, if I could only say_

_I'm holding every breath for you."_

She was staring him in the eyes, and he found he couldn't look away. He moved closer, back to where he had been before, and let her finish the song. By now, everyone noticed the tension between the two.

"_He'd never tell you_

_but he can play guitar.  
I think he can see through_

_everything but my heart._

_First thought when I wake up_

_is my God, he's beautiful._

_So I put on my makeup_

_and pray for a miracle._

_Yes, I could tell you_

_his favorite color's green._

_He loves to argue,_

_oh, and it kills me._

_His sister's beautiful,_

_he has his father's eyes._

_And if you asked me if I love him,_

_if you asked me I love him,_

_I'd lie."_

Lily Grace finished her song and finally looked away, her face burning. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea after all. Everyone else was applauding, but it was obvious that they had noticed.

The group adjourned shortly after that, and they walked back to their house in silence, Lily Grace and Zuko as far away from each other as possible.

Later, after everyone was asleep, Lily Grace and Zuko were the only ones still awake again. Lily Grace got up once more, and walked through the house until she found the big window she liked. She sat on the sill and looked out at the village, not turning even when she knew he had come.

"You really think Azula is beautiful?"

"When she isn't going wolfbat crazy and snipping her hair off, yes."

There was silence again for a moment. He sat beside her on the sill. "Do you really think that about me?"

"Yes." What was the use in lying anymore?

"Why?"

That question surprised her. "Why not? You're handsome, you're talented, you're kind, and funny, and you're a good person. Not to mention you're Fire Lord." That one ended with a grim chuckle. Lily Grace wasn't the kind of person who thought about that kind of stuff.

"Handsome? Kind? Good person?" Zuko asked incredulously. "Look at this scar! It represents all I've done wrong, you shouldn't like me for it-"

"Shut up." Lily Grace said. "I always knew that inside you, you were a good person. And since you found your way again, you've been nothing but kind to everyone. And I think- and I'm not the only one, either- that your scar doesn't make you ugly, it makes you more handsome."

He sat in silence after that, mulling it over. She noticed for the first time that he wasn't wearing a shirt. That hadn't bothered her before. He was always warm, being a Firebender, and even in winter his covers were enough. Now, however, she felt the color rising to her face, and she looked away from him.

"I don't understand," Zuko finally said. She looked at him. "I don't understand how Mai was my girlfriend for such a long time, but I never felt anything near to what I feel now. I had a crush on her, maybe, but I guess that was all. She was so…unfeeling. And you…sometimes I think you feel too much. You feel everything. Even other people's feelings."

Lily Grace looked down at her hands in her lap. Zuko reached over and took one of them, making her look up again.

"But I like that," he said. And he leaned in.

And suddenly the world was turning backwards. There were fireworks going off in her head, showering colored stars behind her closed lids. The usually unnaturally loud chimes of the clock telling them the time- midnight- seemed distant and far away, and the usually quiet sound of his breathing and his even quieter heartbeat filled her ears.

They pulled apart after who knows how long and sat there, leaning against each other. "Happy Tomorrow," Lily Grace whispered. He chuckled.

Eventually they did go back to where the others were and went back to sleep. But even then, they were still together.


End file.
